For The Love of The Game
by hostilecrayon
Summary: A sweet, fluffy AkiHika romance. Shindou and Touya find out they love a game that have nothing to do with Go, and everything to do with each other.
1. Growing Pains

Title: For the Love of the Game  
Author: hostilecrayon  
Paring: AkiHika  
Warning: NC-17  
Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go, but oh how I wish I did. The characters are not mine, but the plot, if you really want to call it that, is mine, and mine alone.  
Notes: This fic is Shounen-ai citrus. Meaning: Sexual intimacy and romance between two males. Don't like, don't read.

Also, expect outrageous amounts of fluffiness. Yes, an epic amount of fluff. It's good for the soul.

**For the Love of the Game**

Chapter one is background plotting, so there really isn't any romance of any kind just yet. But, of course, background is needed to establish a good base to work from. I hope you enjoy it anyway! .

**Chapter 1 – Growing Pains**

_Damn. _Hikaru watched his rival stamp a win for himself… and a loss for Hikaru. _Damn._

Touya was still ahead. He just couldn't seem to fully catch up. Today marked his fourth straight loss to his raven haired rival this week.

It was only Tuesday.

They played each other frequently, almost too frequently, and it was obvious that, even though Shindou could still surprise them every once and a while, Touya Akira was still completely out of his grasp. Shindou usually won once every third game, sometimes every fourth, with some intuitive move that Touya hadn't pondered, but today was his fourth straight loss. Was he getting worse? Or was Touya just getting even better? Today was an official match, too. That's just one more win he needed to move up in rank.

Shindou Hikaru, now a 4-dan at 18, was still three ranks away from his rival. If he hadn't missed all of those matches during his first year, he could be a rank or two higher… but that couldn't have been helped. At the time, he had to stop, he had to realize, and he became stronger because of it.

That didn't stop him from regretting it.

Touya's familiar voice broke his thoughts, stating, as usual, the obvious. "That's your fourth straight loss, you know."

"So?" His face grew hot and he looked down at the Goban, carefully avoiding eye contact with his amused rival.

"So, I thought you were trying to catch up to me, Shindou. It looks to me that you're getting farther away."

"Thanks for that observation, Touya."

"Just thought you'd like to know. Shall we start the post game discussion?" Touya's tone was flat, his eyes fixed on the board as he lowered himself in his spot across from his opponent.

This was a normal occurrence, Touya teasing Hikaru, an argument breaking out during the post game discussion, and Hikaru stomping out of the establishment. But for some reason or another, Hikaru didn't feel like it today. Maybe it was the widening gap between himself and his rival. Or maybe it was his fear of moving out on his own. He couldn't be sure. But whatever the reason, he just couldn't bring himself to fall into their friendly routine. He didn't feel like fighting with his rival, even if the adrenaline rush that followed was always motivating. "I don't want to discuss the game. I just want to go home."

Home. In only a few days, he'd no longer call that place home. It was time to move out, and Hikaru knew that, but… he couldn't explain it well. His eyes grew distant, and an obviously shaken Touya followed Hikaru with his bewildered gaze as he sulked out of the room.

That just wasn't like Shindou at all. Was his teasing a bit overboard? No, that couldn't be it. This was too routine to have bothered him so much. But what exactly was bothering Shindou?

Touya sighed as he gathered the stones and put them in their respective goke. He never did understand his boisterous friend.

Friend. It was something Touya often used to refer to Shindou in his mind, but he wasn't so sure the other boy felt the same for him. Shindou was Touya's first real friend, and, he mused, it was kind of nice. He would even go so far as to call the blonde banged boy his best friend. They spent everyday together and played at least two games a day. Well, that was all they did together, really. But they met at the Go Salon everyday to play.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Shindou did sometimes take him off to random places with Waya, who hated his guts, and Isumi, who was completely neutral to him. Shindou was very good friends with both of them, but Touya just seemed to… stand out. But the gesture was nice, at least.

But Shindou seemed very distant lately, and he missed the simplest of moves during play. It just wasn't like him. Maybe he'd ask him about it at their regularly scheduled afternoon match.

Touya pushed Shindou from his thoughts and collected his jacket and shoes. He had a few things to do before their game, and Touya Akira was never late.

He tossed his backpack with lackluster and collapsed on his bed. He stared at the ceiling that, in three more days, would no longer be his own. He turned his gaze to his Go set sitting neatly in the corner. He hadn't used in much since Sai left. The game with Isumi that restored his career and a few games with Akari, but that was it.

_Sai, what would you think of me now? So terrified of moving out on my own that I can't even play Go correctly…_

Things wouldn't be so bad if Sai were still around. He was sure that Sai could at least give him some advice and make the move smoother. But the What If's weren't going to help him any. He forced himself to get up and set himself in front of the TV. He grabbed his Gamecube controller and began pounding away at a much neglected game of Tales of Symphonia. He didn't have much time to play his games now that Go had taken over his life. _Thanks to Sai._ He reminded himself.

Well, he couldn't blame it entirely on Sai. Sai gave him the push, but Hikaru chased Touya with his own determination. And in the process, he had developed his own love for Go, a love that rivaled Sai himself, but not quite for the same reasons. All the same, his goal was and always had been to catch up to Touya.

_Touya… Damn!_ He leapt from his game and ran out the door. He had almost completely forgotten about the game with Touya. At this rate, he'd be more than a half hour late. Pushing himself faster than he could go, he almost tripped down the stairs, thrust his feet into his shoes, and dashed out the door.

Touya looked at the clock again. It was already 5:35. Shindou was supposed to be there at 5. He was often late, but this was getting ridiculous. Did it have something to do with the distance he felt from his friend? If so, he still could have called. But good manners aside, it was quite unnerving.

For the third time since he arrived, he began to place the stones in the order of a game long since past, analyzing each move as he placed it. He was trying with all his might to concentrate and not keep throwing glances at the door.

_This ate here was premature. The play on this move should have been to protect the upper right formation. This is why black lost._

He looked up again. It was 42 after, and Touya sighed as he cleared away the stones. Maybe Shindou wasn't coming after all.

Just as he was getting ready to excuse himself from the Salon, he heard familiar harsh breathing. He looked up to see a two toned head looking at the floor panting like he'd just ran a marathon. It took him several minutes to recover before he finally approached Touya.

"Sumimasen." Was all he said as he took the chair across from his rival.

Touya was quite irritated, but he held his tongue at his friend's lack of explanation. Usually Shindou burst out into a long, complicated explanation about why he was late, trying desperately to convince Touya that it was not his fault at all. But there was nothing.

And the distance grew.

"Shall we Nigiri?" Shindou nodded. "You're black." Another nod. Shindou played an upper right Hoshii. Touya played a lower right Hoshii. Shindou didn't move. "Shindou, it's your turn."

"Oh." He took a stone and placed it on the board with absolutely no feeling.

"Shindou?"

"I already went."

"I know that. You just don't seem to be yourself today. Is something wrong?"

"Hmm?" Shindou's eyes never left the board, though Touya was sure he couldn't see it.

"There's no feeling in your Go lately. Is there something wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it." His tone was cold and flat, nothing like the loud mouthed kid he usually was.

"Sumimasen, it isn't my business to pry, but…" But what? What could he say to Shindou? He felt like he knew him well enough to be able to at least ease this pain a little. But Shindou was completely shutting him out.

"Then don't." Touya's eyes narrowed as his friend stood up and walked out of the Salon. _How ungrateful, I was only trying to help and he just walks out on me, in the middle of a game no less!_ Touya was half fuming, half worried as he replaced the couple of stones that were played.

What the hell was wrong with Shindou?

He should have just told him. He was polite enough to ask, but that's probably all it was. Touya only thought about the game. If the game wasn't going how he wanted, it was only natural for him to try and make it the way he wanted. But, it really was a friendly gesture. Hikaru could have at least tried to explain.

_Not that Touya would have cared._ He thought bitterly.

Touya had moved out a year ago. He'd probably tell Shindou he was being irrational and that living alone is only natural for someone his age. And he'd probably make some snide comment. Shindou didn't want to deal with that. He wasn't in the mood for Touya's taunting. He turned the corner, finally walking down his own street.

He didn't care if Touya thought he was being immature. Touya Akira had always been independent. He couldn't understand how he felt. He wasn't even sure Touya felt anything outside of the Go world. They often played together, but neither of them had ever been to the other's house. They had each other's cell phone numbers, but Touya only ever called him to play Go. Shindou, on the other hand, invited him out with Isumi and Waya frequently. But somehow, he always managed to look like he wasn't enjoying himself at all.

He could see why Waya detested him so much.

But then, Waya didn't know Touya quite like Shindou did. He sighed. He was being too hard on Touya. He knew why Touya didn't enjoy their outings. He was uncomfortable. He wasn't used to the setting, and Waya made it very obvious he wasn't wanted. Isumi was just plain indifferent. But then, Isumi was always like that. He had ever watchful eyes, and he could somehow see moves far ahead, on and off the Goban.

For some reason, Touya never turned Shindou down in spite of how he felt.

_Damn it. _He stopped in front of his house and pulled out his cell phone. He didn't want to be at home, to sit in the place he knew he had to leave. He dialed Waya's number.

"Yeah, hey Waya. What? Oh, nothing. I'm just a little down. Yeah, still worried about the move. Well, what would you say to a round of mini-golf? Yeah? Alright. Tell Isumi-san. I'll call Touya. Yes, he has to go. Shut up Waya, he's going. Alright, yeah, meet you in front of the snack bar. Yeah, okay. See you there." He clicked end call and walked away from his house.

He walked a couple blocks before dialing Touya's number. He still wasn't sure what to say. He felt pretty bad about just leaving him there.

It rang three times before he picked up. "Hello Touya. Um, I apologize for earlier. I've just been feeling really down lately. No, it's nothing serious. Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to come with us to play mini-golf. I figured it might help me release some stress, and I want to make it up to you for earlier. Yeah, we're meeting in front of the snack bar. You'll come then? Good, I'm glad. I apologize again. See you there." He clicked his phone off and headed towards the Putt and Play.

Touya sighed heavily. Another night out with Shindou and company was not at all what he wanted to be doing. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just Shindou, but he really didn't know how to act in front of the others. Not to mention, he'd never played miniature golf before. He just happened to know where it was. Why couldn't they just play a nice, quiet game of Go?

He couldn't say he was completely ungrateful for the call though. It meant that Shindou thought of him as more than just a rival. And he always seemed to feel more like a kid with them. They acted so childish, and yet, it was something Touya secretly liked. He had never experienced things like that until he met Shindou. He was always surrounded by adults. He couldn't really say he completely hated their outings. He even secretly waited for those phone calls, even if he usually ended up feeling out of place in the end.

He wanted to be able to let loose like the others, but it just wasn't him. He couldn't do that. Not Touya Akira, the one said to have the most promising talent in the Go world. Not Touya the 7-dan. But he wasn't _just_ Touya the 7-dan. He was Akira the 18 year old. Somehow, no one seemed to notice.

As a matter of fact, only his parents and some of the adults in his life even called him Akira. Not even Shindou, the best friend he'd ever had, ever called him Akira. It felt… a little lonely. Of course, he didn't call Shindou 'Hikaru', but… well, it just didn't feel right. What if Shindou was offended? What if he didn't want to be that good of friends with him? Well, Shindou called Waya and Isumi by their sir names as well, so he guessed it wasn't something to worry about. But he'd like to think that he knew Shindou better than Waya and Isumi.

He shrugged it off as he walked through the doors and was hit by a gust of cool air. It only took him a moment to spot the snack bar, and Waya and Isumi standing in front of it. _Great. Shindou isn't here yet. _He prepared himself for Waya's dirty looks as he approached the two boys.

He bowed politely. "Konbanwa Isumi-san, Waya-san."

Through clenched teeth, Waya replied, "Konbanwa, Touya-_san._" It was obvious Waya didn't like addressing Touya with any sort of respectful title, and Touya just ignored him.

"Konbanwa, Touya-san." Isumi said calmly.

"Shindou hasn't arrived yet?" He looked around hopefully.

"No, but he should be here soon." Isumi politely responded. Waya just grunted. "So how have your matches been going? Good I hope?"

"Yes, I've been doing well. I had my 13th straight win on record today. Though I think that perhaps it may have been a loss had Shindou not been so distracted. You, Isumi-san?"

"I've been doing quite well myself. I was promoted to 5-dan today."

"That's wonderful."

"Has Shindou talked to you at all about what's been bothering him?"

"Not at all. He left our afternoon match only moments after it started. He said he didn't want to talk about what was bothering him."

Isumi pulled at his chin. "Just as I thought. He thinks you'll make fun of him."

Touya was taken aback by this statement. "Make fun of him? Why would I?"

"Because you're the great Touya." Waya said disgustedly. "You always look down on Shindou, and the rest of us for that matter."

"I do not!"

"No, I suppose you don't. You look at him as an equal that you want to squash sounds a little better. Don't you think so, Isumi-san?"

"That's enough Waya." Isumi's voice was firm, but calm. He turned his attention back to the emotionally ruffled Touya. "Shindou is moving out of his house. He doesn't want to tell you it's bothering him because you moved out a long time ago. He thinks you'll tell him he's stupid and immature." Touya gave him a puzzled look. As an afterthought, Isumi added, "He cares a little too much what you think of him."

Touya pondered this for a moment. "But why is he so scared to move out of his house?"

"That's why he didn't tell you! Someone like you could never understand!"

"Waya, I said that's enough!" Waya cringed under Isumi's piercing gaze. "It's simple really. He doesn't know how to take care of himself. He's never had to. He can't do laundry, grocery shop or even cook. He doesn't know what he going to do without his mother."

It was true that Touya had always been independent. His father was often visiting other countries or going out of town for tournaments, and his mother would accompany him at times. He learned to cook at a very young age, and he could do everything from the shopping to the laundry by the time he was 12. It never really occurred to him that other people didn't have to learn. "I see." He said slowly. "Well, I could always teach him some things."

"What are you going to do? Move in with him and be his mother for him?" Waya scoffed, then quickly hid from Isumi's gaze.

"Well, Waya has a point. If you don't live close, it would be rather difficult."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Just try to be sympathetic to Shindou about his position, even if you can't understand why he is so upset."

"I will. Thank you for telling me." He gave Isumi a small bow.

"Hey guys! I'm here! I hope you weren't waiting too long." Shindou skidded to a halt in front of the three boys. He flashed one of his winning smiles. "Let's play!"

All in all, the night had gone pretty well. Touya had been a little frustrated with the game, and it was obvious he had never played, but even he seemed to have fun.

Shindou stretched out on his bed, chuckling to himself at the night's events.

"_What's with that scary face, Touya? It's just mini-golf! You don't have to be so competitive about it!"_

"_No no, you have to bounce it off the side at an angle like this, see?"_

Yeah, it was fun. Shindou drifted to sleep, feeling much better, almost not worrying about his problem. Almost.

The fateful day had arrived at last. As he placed the last of his boxes in the moving van, he looked back at his house with a burning regret. At least his friends were being supportive.

He looked over at the three of them, Touya, Isumi and Waya, waiting for him to finish his slow movements and get in the car to leave. Touya had been exceptionally supportive, which was a little odd, but reassuring all the same. They hadn't had any fights over the Goban, and even when Shindou would tell him a move was stupid, he'd just accept it and agree.

Even Waya was trying his best not to be mean to Touya today. He was very grateful.

"You ready?" Waya said as he approached.

"…Yeah, I guess. Let's go." He gave one last look of longing towards what used to be his bedroom window before he climbed into the backseat of Isumi's car with Touya.

It was a short drive, less than 15 minutes, when they pulled up next to an apartment building.

"You're moving in here?" Touya asked.

"Yeah." Touya's eyes widened, but Shindou was too involved with his own thoughts to notice.

It only took two hours to move all of his stuff in, and the four of them sat on his new floor unpacking boxes together.

"Don't worry Shindou. It's not that bad living alone." Waya said with a grin.

"That's easy for you to say. Isumi-san lives with you."

"Well, I moved out on my own first, you know!"

"Yeah, and you lived off fast food and mooching off your parents." Shindou chuckled half-heartedly, desperately trying to ease his own tension and failing miserably. "You didn't even have a place to do your laundry!"

Waya blushed slightly. "Well, I was only fifteen. There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Except you still can't do your own laundry." Isumi chimed in.

"You do his laundry for him?" Touya gasped.

"Yeah. I guess it's not too bad though. I make him do the dishes. Then again, he's constantly breaking them. I'm surprised we still have dishes." The four of them chuckled together, all of them having fun, except Shindou. His laugh was hollow, and he was realizing more and more all of the things he couldn't do by himself.

"Isumi-san, do you… um… think you could maybe teach me how to do laundry?" Shindou's face reddened considerably.

"Why don't you have Touya teach you? His apartment is across the hall."

Touya looked up at Isumi with surprise. "You knew?"

"Well, after that conversation we had, I decided to look up where you lived relative to where Shindou was moving. It's a simple matter of getting it from the Go Institute. I must say, it's a stroke of fate you guys live across from each other."

Shindou brightened up considerably. "Would you really teach me how Touya?"

"Yeah. I can teach you how to cook and some other things as well if you wish."

For the first time that day, a real smile broke out on Shindou's face. "I guess moving out won't be so bad. This will give us a chance to get to know each other better, too." He grinned despite Waya's angry scowl. Touya flashed one of his rare smiles, and the rest of the day went smoothly.


	2. To Cross the Division

Ehehehe, more set up. .;; But it's a bit fluffier this time around. And, for all you Isumi/Waya fans out there, here's a peek at them at home! No sexy yaoi love in this chapter though. Sorry to disappoint!

**Chapter 2 – To Cross the Division**

Six months had passed since Shindou moved into his apartment and out on his own. He was sitting across from Touya, playing a quiet game of Go on his latest edition of furniture – a kitchen table. The apartment was still quite bare, but it had most of what Shindou needed. He had the electronics that came from his old room, tactlessly sitting on milk crates, his Goban and stones, his bed, and some old dishes given to him by various family members and friends. Hikaru didn't feel he needed much more, but his apartment was completely bare compared to Touya Akira's.

Touya had a very elaborate apartment indeed. Plush leather couches and a full blown entertainment center with an antique coffee table sat in his living room, a set of fine china as well as a set for casual dinners lined his cupboards, a fridge with an ice maker and a table that could accommodate 8 people sat in his kitchen, a bath set with matching towels and shower curtain in the bathroom, and a bedroom set to die for. He also had plants in every room of the house, and even a fish tank with exotic fish. Compared to Touya Akira, Shindou Hikaru's apartment looked unlivable.

"I win again. It was this tsuke that lost the game for you."

"Yeah well, if I didn't play there, you would have played here," Shindou pointed, "and completely shut me out."

"But you could have just easily solidified your territory here and broke my formation on the left side."

"Yeah right! You would have never let me get away with that!"

"Any idiot could see that I would have been powerless to stop your attack!"

"Idiot? You're the stupid one! The only reason I had so much territory is because you completely missed this move here!" Shindou thrust his finger to a small formation on the left side of the board.

"I am not stupid!"

"You are! And look, I can't believe you let me get away with this ate here, either!"

"Shut up! I couldn't attack you there! Your formation was too strong in the center!"

"Idiot!" With that, Shindou got up and stomped into the kitchen. It was an unwritten rule these days that Shindou not storm out of their houses during games. It would be rather foolish to stomp out of his own apartment complex. Instead, Shindou always seemed to make his way to the kitchen and bring back cold drinks 5 minutes later, after the steam had worn off.

As per regulations, Shindou returned a few minutes later with a tea for Touya and a soda for himself. And as usual, Touya commented on his choice of beverage. "You know, that stuff isn't good for your body."

"Yeah yeah. Another game?"

"Well, it's getting rather late. Don't you think it's about time for some dinner?"

"I suppose… my house or yours?" Another unwritten rule that had come into existence over the last six months was the fact that anytime both boys were home around dinner time, they cooked and ate together. Shindou greatly enjoyed the company, and it seemed Touya enjoyed it as well.

Touya raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it your turn tonight?"

Shindou groaned. He was a bit short on groceries, and though Touya had been helping him, his cooking hadn't improved much. At least Touya helped him do the dishes every night. "How about instant ramen?" Shindou grinned with hope, running his fingers through his hair.

"You know I don't eat that instant garbage. Did you forget to go to the store again?" Shindou nodded helplessly and Touya sighed. "My house it is then, again. I'm going to drag you shopping one of these days. You can't even keep your own kitchen stocked."

Shindou grumbled to himself as he followed the blue eyed boy across the hall and into his apartment.

"What're you going to make?" Shindou bounced up and down as he watched his friend pulling things out of the cupboards and fridge. Eating at Touya's house meant he didn't have to do much of the cooking. That always made him happy.

"I think a quick stir-fry will do." Touya's hands went to work chopping vegetables while Shindou watched closely. "You know, I've made this for you several times. I don't understand why you can't make it yourself yet. You always manage to burn it."

Shindou flushed. "Well, cooking is harder than it looks!"

"You just don't pay attention." He tossed the vegetables into the frying pan and began washing the rice.

"I do too." Shindou grumbled as he wandered over to the table to pout.

In less than a half hour, a chicken stir fry sat steaming on the table in front of them. "This is-"

"Great, right? You always say that when I cook."

"Well, it is! My cooking is so horrible. I love it when you cook!" A light flush crossed Touya's cheeks momentarily. Shindou grinned. Touya didn't look like the type, but a little bit of praise from someone he knew went a long way with him.

Shindou took advantage of that fact as often as possible.

"Okay, I'm done! Want to play a game now?"

"You haven't got out of doing the dishes yet. What makes you think today is any different?"

Shindou winced. "I almost forgot, heh."

"No you didn't. You just wanted to try to get out of it." Shindou grinned sheepishly. "By the way, not that I mind, but you've been even more obsessed than usual with playing me."

"How am I supposed to surpass you if I don't constantly hone my skills against you?"

"Surpass me, huh? Not likely." A hint of a smile played on Touya's lips as he turned on the water in the sink.

"One of these days, I'm going to surprise you."

"You surprise me every time you say something foolish like that."

The dishes were washed and put away and they sat down to play another game. "This time, I'm going to win!" Shindou smiled broadly as he laid his first piece on the board.

"Waya! You left your clothes in the middle of the floor again!"

Waya popped his head out of the bathroom and grinned apologetically. "Sorry Isumi! I was in a hurry."

Isumi rolled his eyes and picked it up himself. "Hurry up in there! I need to start the laundry."

"Oh? Well, I'm done. Want some company?"

"If by company, you mean sit behind me and watch, then you can if you want. You could help, you know." Waya shook his head vigorously and moved aside to let Isumi pass.

"You know, things have been a lot quieter since Shindou moved across from Touya." Waya planted himself on the toilet and sighed.

"They've become even better friends now, that's for sure." Isumi began filling the bathtub with lukewarm water.

"As good of friends as us?"

"I highly doubt they're intimate, if that's what you're getting at."

"But, Shindou doesn't do as much with us, and he always wants Touya to tag along. It's irritating." The amber eyed boy crossed his arms, pouting.

"He always wanted Touya to tag along before that." Isumi pointed out. "Maybe you're just upset because you don't like Touya."

"No, that's not it. He just seems to be... I don't know, a little _too_ friendly with Touya, that's all. I mean, Touya's such a jerk, and he's always picking fights with Shindou. Not to mention, he practically ignores us. He thinks he's so much better than us."

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe he's uncomfortable around us?"

"Uncomfortable? The Touya Akira, uncomfortable? He could walk into a party and still the air! He's the one making people uncomfortable."

"Could that be because no one takes the time to understand him?"

"...Damn you Isumi. You always have to turn things around on me."

"Maybe you should just be happy for them. Touya needs someone his own age to loosen up a bit. At the same time, the calm reserve of Touya is a good influence on Shindou. If all goes well, we may just have two people that are a perfect blend of each other." Waya sighed. Isumi was right, of course. But it didn't change the fact that he didn't want to like Touya. "Look Waya, they make each other happy. You should try to get to know Touya. If you're so concerned with Shindou, you should think about how he feels when you openly detest his best friend."

Waya raised an eyebrow. "His _best _friend?"

"Face it. Before Shindou met any of us, his sights were set on Touya. They have a deeper bond than he could possibly have with the rest of us. He will never think of you as his best friend. Besides, you have me." He said with a smirk.

A light flush littered the amber eyed boy's cheeks. "I didn't mean it like that… but I guess you're right. For Shindou's sake, I'll try to get to know Touya. I can't promise I'll like him though."

"Good. Now set up the rack. These need to dry." Waya smiled and gave Isumi a quick hug from behind before heading off to find the clothes rack.

"Yes! I told you I was going to beat you!" Shindou grinned openly.

"It's about time." Touya teased as he replaced his stones into their goke. "By the way, have you heard from Akari lately? You haven't mentioned her in a while."

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot! I got a letter from her the other day, and part of it is for you. I'll be right back!" The green eyed youth ran from the room and bounced back in moments later. "Here, read it!"

Touya took the letter and unfolded it, wondering what Akari could possibly have to say to him.

_Shindou,_

_We bought a house! Isn't it great? We finally saved up enough money to move out of that old apartment. Mitani is doing well at his new job, and you'll never guess what's going on with us. I'm pregnant! The doctors tell me it's a little boy. Isn't that great? I'll be sure to send you pictures when he's born. Other than that, America is great. My English has gotten much better, and I feel more comfortable here than before. We live pretty close to the beach now, and it's really beautiful to watch the sunset on the water. How are you doing? I hope your matches are going well. I was glad when I heard you moved out. How is that going? It's pretty lucky you moved across from Touya. Is he well? Well, being that he lives right across from you, just hand him this letter when you have a minute. I'd like to say something to him!_

_Touya! I hope you're doing well. Shindou isn't fighting with you too much, is he? I want to thank you for taking such good care of him. I know he wouldn't make it without such a good friend like you. I'm counting on you to take care of him in my place. I could never really reach him like you can. I was interested in Go for a while, but I never did understand the passion you two have for it. I know Shindou looks up to you as both a Go player and a friend, so help him out, okay? Even if he can be a bit of a pain sometimes._

_Keep In Touch!_

_Akari_

Touya refolded the letter and placed it gently in the envelope. "She's funny, isn't she? She acts like I start the fights with you. She couldn't be more wrong!" Shindou chuckled.

_I know Shindou looks up to you as both a Go player and a friend._

"Touya?"

Touya's gaze didn't leave the envelope as he thought over the paragraph addressed to him. _It sounds a lot like what Isumi-san was saying…_

"Umm, Touya? Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I was just thinking, that's all." There was really only one way to find out if Shindou really thought of him as a good friend. _A best friend…_ "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"We've known each other for six years, and now we're neighbors. You could call me Akira, you know."

"A-ki-ra, huh?" Shindou let it roll slowly off his tongue, testing out the sound. He hesitated, and Touya prepared himself for the worse. _This is it, he's going to tell me he doesn't want to, that we're rivals and it would be inappropriate…_ "Sure, I could do that." Touya blinked. Did he just hear that right? A small rush of relief crossed him. It was everything you could do to keep from laughing out loud at the feeling. "Are you sure you want me to?"

His hands shook a little, but Akira forced a calm over himself. "Of course. Why else would I have mentioned it?"

"That's true. Okay Akira! But that means you have to call me Hikaru. Otherwise it would just be weird." Shindou smirked.

"Hikaru it is then."

A puzzled expression distorted Hikaru's features. "Wait. What did that have to do with Akari's letter?"

"Well, she mentioned we're friends. I thought that perhaps, since we've been friends so long, we could be on a first name basis."

"I've felt that way for a while now, actually. It's just, well, your prestige and all… I thought you wouldn't find it appropriate."

"Not at all. Over the years, and especially in these last six months, you've become my best friend."

"Best friend? Really?" Shindou's eyes widened.

"Well, yeah." A light pink flushed his cheeks, and he was fumbling around with the envelope to keep his hands busy.

"What a relief! I was thinking the same thing! But, well…" Shindou stopped, seemingly not knowing what to say next.

"The prestige thing again?" Shindou nodded. "I don't know why you even care about that. Or why you think I care about that. And it's not just you. Waya said something to me about it a while ago."

"Waya is always being mean to you. I wouldn't worry about what he says." Shindou shrugged it off as nothing, but Touya couldn't feel so nonchalant about it.

"Not this time. Waya hated me before he knew who I was. Maybe it's because I didn't take notice of him at the pro exams all those years ago. It's partly because I'm not fit to be social with people my age. I just feel awkward. That says a lot, when people you don't even know hate you. And he said something I'd like to ask you about." Touya set the letter down on the table to keep from ruining it and clenched his fists. The fleeting feeling of happiness at being accepted by Shindou was already leaving him as the bitter memory of Waya's words that night flooded his mind. He'd been keeping it in all this time, and at this moment of confessions, he had to know how Shindou felt. Could Shindou feel who he really was through his Go? Or did he misunderstand his actions as well?

Touya swallowed uneasily and began slowly, not quite knowing how to phrase his question. "What-How do you feel… That is…"

"Hey, we're best friends now. You can say anything to me! Just say it." Shindou shot him a reassuring smile, and took a deep breath to restart.

"Do you think I look down on your guys? I mean, do you think I'm pushing you all away?"

"Tou-Akira…" Hikaru wandered towards the living room and took a seat on the overstuffed couch. "Well, not exactly… but…"

Touya took the seat on the other end of the couch and stared intently at the carpet. "…But?"

"Well, this is kind of difficult to explain…" He began. "I know that you don't mean to, you see…" He stopped again to push his bangs out of his face. Touya didn't move, his eyes hidden behind long, raven strands.

"Well…" He began again. "I don't see you that way. You just don't seem to enjoy yourself with the others, you don't really speak unless spoken to, and it appears to most people that all you see it Go, not the people behind it. They don't think you acknowledge their strength, that you think they aren't worth your time. And well…" Shindou looked away. "You really do seem to only care about Go… But it's okay, I don't mind…"

"I do." Touya said quietly.

"Tou-Akira?" Shindou turned his gaze back to Touya, and Touya felt the weight of his questioning eyes on his face. For a brief second, he looked into Shindou's eyes, then quickly looked away again.

"I… don't just care about Go. I want to be a part of your conversations. I want to laugh out loud with you, and I want to join the conversation… but I can only smile and nod."

"Akira…" He said softly. Shindou's eyes filled with unseen concern as Touya continued.

"I don't know how… to be like you." His fingers dug into the skin on his knees as he fought back tears.

A warm hand touched his shoulder. "It's okay. I understand that. And lately, we've become such close friends. You've changed since I moved in. You talk more now, and not always just about Go. Waya just doesn't see it. He doesn't know what you're like when you're with me. Don't worry about it. He'll come around, and I'm pretty sure Isumi has already realized it. I think we will all become closer friends. It's just that these things take time. I'll talk to Waya if you want."

"No, I want to talk to him. Please let me do this myself. And Hikaru," Touya looked up. "Thank you so much for understanding me." The tears were still shimmering in his eyes, threatening to flow, but they were no longer the tears of pain, but the tears of a deep friendship.


	3. Cats and Dogs

Well, here we are, finally jumping into the story. Some fun things happen with Akira. I had a lot of fun writing this particular chapter, and I have a feeling the opening of Chapter 4 will be even more fun to write. . Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 3: Cats and Dogs**

It was early when Shindou woke, light from the rising sun streaming through the blinds. A heavy hand hit the clock to stop the loud sound that had pulled him from his peaceful reverie. He had almost sunk back into his dreams when he heard the front door click open.

Someone shifted around in his living room, opened his bathroom window, and made their way into his room, where the blinds were quickly pulled open and his blanket yanked from his grasp.

"Touya!" Shindou whined, promptly curling into a ball to hide from the cold morning air, still clutching his sheet.

A fully dressed and awake Touya was still moving around his room, collecting Shindou's dirty laundry. "Get up, Hikaru. You have a job today, you know. And don't call me Touya just because I won't let you sleep in. You haven't called me that in a month now. You don't want to anger the Kadosuki family, do you?"

"Who in their right mind sets up a tutoring game at 7 o'clock in the morning?" Hikaru groaned, grudgingly sitting up to look at his best friend.

"Someone looking to catch you without your wits." Touya shot him a quick smirk before he returned to his methodical cleaning.

Shindou scowled as he climbed out of bed, clad only in striped boxers. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, and I'm at a disadvantage. You're a morning person." Touya just grinned and threw him a pair of pants. He was used to dragging a half naked Hikaru out of bed.

"What's for breakfast?" Hikaru said through a yawn as he tugged on the pants.

"Eggs." Touya tossed him a blue button up shirt. Hikaru promptly threw it back.

"Blech. You know I hate button ups." He made a sour face.

"You look good in them. Besides, I hear your client is a young girl. Why not dress to impress?" Touya chuckled at Shindou's bored expression. "It wouldn't kill you to date."

"Same goes for you. I don't think I've ever seen you with a girl." He shot back. Touya answered him by throwing the shirt back at him. Shindou obediently put it on, despite his scowl.

"That's better. And you know I don't have time to date. I barely have time to keep up all of your chores. I thought you were going to learn how to do this yourself? It doesn't seem you've learned so much as you've figured out how to get me to do it."

"That's not hard. You're an absolute perfectionist. My absence of doing it is all I have to do for you to do it for me." He grinned. "I'm going to go eat before it gets cold!"

"Don't forget your socks!" Touya yelled after him, but he had already ran across the hall and was probably sitting at Touya's table eating. Touya shook his head, grinning.

"Waya, quit pretending to be asleep. I know you couldn't have possibly gone back to sleep in less than a minute." Waya mumbled something about 5 more minutes, and Isumi put his hands on his hips. "Waya, get out of bed this instant. Touya is waiting for you."

"Fine, fine." He stumbled out of bed and stretched lazily. "I'm not looking forward to this, you know."

"Just remember, you're doing this for Shindou."

"I know. But spending a few hours with just Touya? Are you sure you can't come?" He pouted.

Isumi raised an eyebrow. "I'm not the one with the problem. Besides, if I go, you'll just ignore Touya. This way, you'll be forced to talk to him."

"That's not very nice…" He sighed. "I'm getting in the shower. Maybe if I drown myself, I won't have to go."

"Very funny Waya. Hurry up, or I'll turn on the hot water and ruin your shower." Waya grumbled all the way to the bathroom, and Isumi smiled. This could turn out to be a very good thing, and he wanted to make sure Waya was there on time. Touya wasn't exactly the patient type, and he didn't want anything putting Touya Akira in a bad mood today. If all went well, Waya could finally drop the grudge that had merely become habit, and maybe, just maybe, Touya and Waya could be friends.

Shindou pressed the gate buzzer, and a gruff voice came over the intercom. "Yes?"

"It's Shindou Hikaru, Sir."

"Come on in." The gate clicked, and he entered into a small, but well-groomed garden area. The Kadosuki's were quite wealthy, and word had it their daughter was seeking a long term partner. Shindou sighed. Rich girls were so spoiled. They figured they could take what ever they wanted. Well, Shindou arrived as a pro, and he'd be damned if he didn't leave as one.

The young girl bowed politely, bending forward just a little too much in a shirt that left nothing to the imagination. She was a pretty girl, long blonde hair, soft green eyes with a hint of mischief in them, not too tall with a slender waist. As she straightened, her eyes narrowed slightly, her heavy mascara outlining long eyelashes, which fluttered as she blinked. A flawless smile branched out on her face. Shindou was looking out the window.

"Would you care to sit Shindou-sama?" Her voice was quiet, most properly described as alluring yet shy, and for added effect, a light pink tint crept into her cheeks, just enough to show interest, but not enough to say embarrassment.

Shindou looked over suddenly, completely missing all of her words and careful considerations. "Um, I'm sorry, what was that?"

Whether it was anger or disappointment that flashed in her eyes, Shindou would never know. Not that he was looking at her eyes. She cleared her throat, the sweet look returned to her face, and repeated herself. "I asked you if you'd like to sit, Shindou-sama."

"Ah, yes, let's." He sat absent-mindedly across from her, mentally cursing about all the things he could be doing right now instead of being cooped up with a girl he was sure wasn't the least bit interested in Go. Like sleeping, for one. Or playing Akira. _That's right, Akira is out with Waya right now. I wonder if it's going well…_

A month ago, Akira had made up his mind to talk to Waya, the only problem being his inability to communicate with most people his age. So Akira had put it off, blaming it on their busy schedules. Shindou just figured he'd never get around to doing it. He was sure Akira had no idea what to say. Neither of them had expected Waya to initiate the contact. Hikaru was still a little confused about that. Waya hated Touya. Whatever the reason, Hikaru speculated, he was sure Isumi's insightful nature had something to do with it.

"…Shindou-sama?" All thoughts broke off immediately as he stared blankly at the girl before him. She gestured to the Goban between them.

"Oh, yes, place 5 stones please." He rubbed his temples. Even with Akira out, he could still spend some time sleeping.

_Focus, focus._ He just needed to get through this game. His zoning out would just make his stay longer than it already would be. Hikaru watched as she placed her fifth stone and started to play.

"Oohaiyo gozaimasu, Touya-san." His words were stifled, but less hostile than usual, and Waya bowed awkwardly, biting back a scowl.

"I wish you wouldn't worry about the formalities, Waya-san." Touya also bowed, a disturbing smile on his face. It wasn't all that often that Touya smiled, and when he did, it was usually quite empty, a plastered smile that irritated Waya to no end. He couldn't tell if this smile was forced or not, but the suggestion to drop the formalities confused him. Touya Akira denounce formality? What was the world coming to?

In the midst of his confusion, all he could manage was a muttered, "Oh, sure, I guess."

"Shall we go in?" Only Touya Akira would mention dropping formalities and then use the word 'shall'. The eerie smile didn't budge from his face, and Waya's brain was working overtime. He was already suspicious of Touya, but his out of character behavior was like icing on the cake.

"Uh, yeah. Let's go." They turned and walked into the West Shrine Lounge. Oddly enough, it had been Touya's idea to do something that wasn't related to Go. They had decided on the West Shrine Lounge after Waya had suggested it, and Touya hadn't resisted.

They stepped onto the grey tile flooring of the entrance walkway. The lounge was separated into two rooms, one for dining, and one for hanging out. Waya turned down the hallway that lead to the latter, and Touya followed quietly, eyes darting from the decorum to the people who currently inhabited the area. _How like Touya to instantly absorb everything._

The room was very large, plush green couches littering the dark hardwood floor used for dancing in the later hours of the night. A bar with a grumpy looking man pouring green drinks for a very plump couple was on the far left side, and a stage with abandoned DJ equipment was dead center on the opposite wall. The walls were somewhat plain, white in color, but there were colored lights hanging from the ceiling. Though the club was open 24 hours, not many people were at the Lounge this early.

Still, judging by the subtle look on Touya's face, it was too many. He'd obviously never set foot in a club before.

Smiling at his uncertainty, Waya said, "Relax a little, will ya? Let's go sit in the corner over there."

They sat relatively far from the rest of the people there, all of which seemed to gather near the bar. Waya took the seat in the corner, facing the rest of the room, hoping if Touya couldn't see the other people, he'd feel a little better. He wished Touya would just learn how to relax.

Silence prevailed for five whole minutes. Touya was sitting up straight, apparently examining the small coffee table between them. Waya just melted into the soft armchair, waiting for Touya to speak. He couldn't think of a thing to say to the rival he never had. His anger towards having his talent ignored by Touya still hadn't left him, and though Touya was taking the time to get to know him, he couldn't seem to push past it.

The silence was damaging.

"Hey, want something to drink?" Waya asked, hoping to kill a few minutes of time standing at the bar.

"I'd like that. Would you like me to go with you?"

"Naw, it's fine. Just tell me what you want. I'll get it for you."

"Iced Tea, please." The smile was back, but he was tense, easily reflected by his stiff posture. Waya was going to have to do something about that, or he'd slowly go insane sitting here with him.

Shindou was bored stiff. Two hours and four games had passed. As he'd suspected, the girl had no talent for Go, and no passion to learn. She sure did shift around a lot though. It was starting to grade on his nerves, the way she'd scoot forward every time he spoke, briefly looking down at what he was pointing at without absorbing anything. She smiled more than was natural, too.

"Would you like to take a break?" _Would I ever._ "We could talk a bit out on the porch." _Oh, that kind of break._ Her never ending smile widened more than Shindou had previously thought possible, and with a nod, she was dragging him outside. _Will this ever end?_

The drink was sour. There was something about it that was off, but he couldn't really put his finger on it. Not wanting to be rude, he sipped it through the straw Waya had provided, and he attempted to ignore the burning sensation it made in his chest.

He was feeling a bit more comfortable now, though.

"I'm glad you called me, Waya. The truth is, I was going to call you, but I didn't know what to say." Touya was still smiling as he had been all morning, but it was getting to be easier to do. He took another sip off his drink. "You see, I really wanted to talk with you a bit."

Waya was smiling too, but his smile was oddly mischievous, and curiosity littered his eyes. "Oh really? What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I'd like to apologize for not openly acknowledging your talent. I suppose I can be a little narrow minded at times. You have real talent." He paused to take another sip off his drink, relishing slightly in the genuine shock sitting plainly on Waya's face. It was getting a little hot in the Lounge, and he was starting to wonder why they didn't have an air conditioner. "I know you've never liked me very much, and I'd like that to change. I just feel very awkward around people my own age." He hadn't imagined it would be so easy to talk to Waya. He wondered why he hadn't tried before. He took another sip of his drink. It got better with each passing taste, and now with the cup empty, he was eagerly wanting more. "What did you say this drink was called again?"

"Long Island Iced Tea."

"I think I'm going to go get another one. I didn't like it much at first, but it's actually pretty good." Touya went to stand.

"No, I'll get it for you." Waya blurted out, grabbing Touya's cup and dashing across the room. Touya settled back against the plush chair, no longer worried about posture. The heat was really getting to him now, as he was a little light headed, and beads of sweat tickled his forehead. He wiped at them with the back of his hand and glanced at his watch. It was about 9. Hikaru had been at his Tutoring Session for about two hours. He wondered if he'd be there when he got back. He felt like he was making real progress with Waya. After only spending a half hour with him, he could feel a breakthrough coming. He could see it as if it were a well placed move in an even Go match.

"Here you go." Waya smiled at him, and Touya instantly put his lips to the straw. Despite the lingering burn, the drink was rather refreshing.

"So… What's it like living across from Shindou?"

"It's really nice, actually. We get along a lot better than we used to, though he still can't take care of himself." Touya chuckled. "I did his laundry before I came here. He had a Tutoring Session this morning, and I had time, so I took care of it for him. We're very lucky the apartment complex put in a laundry room. I don't have to do it by hand anymore."

"Isumi does my laundry. He has to do it by hand, but it's okay, he doesn't seem to mind. I usually keep him company while he does it."

"That's nice. It's probably a little cramped in the bathroom together though, isn't it?"

"We don't mind that at all. It's not like we aren't used to being close to each other." Waya hiccupped a little. The heat seemed to be getting to him too, and he fanned himself with his hand a bit.

Touya watched Waya for a moment, not sure what to make of his last statement. After a few moments of careful consideration, he said, "You and Isumi are close?" Waya grinned.

"You could say that." The mischief was back in his smile, leaking its way into his eyes.

"How so?"

Waya changed the subject. "Touya, have you ever been in a relationship?"

He was a bit taken aback by this new line of questioning. "What do you mean?"

"You know, an intimate relationship."

"I've never had a girlfriend, if that's what you mean."

"What about a boyfriend?"

Touya shook his head slightly. What the hell was Waya getting at? The conversation had changed from strange to just plain confusing. Touya took a long sip of his drink before squinting his eyes to look at Waya. "No, I haven't. Just what are you getting at?"

"I have." _Why is he so casually telling me this? What does it have to do with anything? _Waya paused to take a large gulp of his own drink before continuing again. "Isumi and I are in a relationship." _Oh. I guess he wasn't changing the subject…_

They sat for several moments in silence. Touya thought about this rather curious new piece of information, rolling it around in his mind. "Does Shindou know?"

"He's the only one who knows. Well, now you know, of course. But only you two. Shindou never told you?"

"No." A puzzled expression came over him, and he thought about it some more. He had a question. "Hey Waya…"

"Yeah?"

"If you're both guys… how does that work? I mean, how do you have sex?" Waya blushed to the roots of his hair, and it took a moment for Touya to realize why he was so embarrassed. Once realized, his skin quickly followed suit. "Gomen…"

"No, it's okay." Waya said, some of the red fading. "I just didn't expect you to be so forward about it." Waya chuckled a little. "Looks like you've finally relaxed. And well, it's sort of like being with a girl… except there's one less hole…" Waya quickly blushed again, and Touya decided it was best to drop the topic at hand.

"I'm happy for you."

"Thanks. But haven't you at least thought about being in a relationship? No interests, hot fantasies, anything?"

"Well, no. I'm too busy with Go, and like I told Shindou this morning, doing his chores." He giggled a bit, hiccupping in the process.

Waya's ridiculous look said it all, and Touya blushed a little. "No one? Not ever?"

"Well, I'm not really worried about it right now." He said, a bit quieter than his previous statement. "Besides, I mentioned Shindou should get a girlfriend this morning, and he just blew me off. Neither of us have time for it."

"Shindou too, huh?"

"Yeah." Waya was giving him such a strange look that he allowed himself to stare at him for a full minute before realizing that it was rude. He looked away, unable to decipher the meaning behind it. He shrugged it off and killed off his drink. Then he held it up.

Waya raised an eyebrow. "Another?" Touya nodded, a small head rush coming over him as he did. It was really a very good drink.

"So you live near Touya 7-dan? That's great. Do you play a lot of unofficial games together?"

"Yeah. Touya and I are good friends. We do a lot of things together." Shindou smiled with some effort. The girl was quickly becoming even more boring than he'd first thought, and her interest in his personal life was more than a little disturbing.

"That's great!" She exclaimed excitedly. Shindou couldn't quite figure out why.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I bet it would be a lot of fun to hang out with a couple of pros like you two." With that, she stretched her hand across the table, brushing her fingers across his before completely engulfing his hand altogether. Awkwardness crept over him, and he looked away, more than a little annoyed that her fingers seemed to be massaging his knuckles. "Do you hang out with many other pros?"

He pressed his hand open, and hers flattened out over his. It didn't seem like she was going to let go. "Well, I spend a lot of time with Waya and Isumi. I've known them since I was an Insei."

"How interesting." Shindou faked a small cough. She still didn't let go. What was with this girl, anyway? She turned his hand over in hers and seemed to be examining his fingertips. He couldn't help but be reminded of that time all those years ago when Touya had asked him for his hand. He never did find out why he'd done that. He'd have to ask him later.

"Yeah." He shifted uncomfortably. "Would you like to play another game now?"

"Not yet. I'm enjoying our chat, aren't you?" Her fingers drew little circles on his palm.

_Not in the slightest._ "Yeah, I suppose." He wanted his hand back. He'd been here for much too long, and he found himself wishing for any excuse to leave.

How very interesting. Waya would have to thank Kenji later. It certainly paid off to know the owner of the club. To let minors drink in his club; he owed him one, that's for sure.

It was more than he had ever expected, this new side of Touya. It almost made him pleasant. And that sex question, how completely unlike him. And the relationship that seemed to have grown between Shindou and Touya… he was sure neither of them had any idea how far their friendship actually went.

Waya wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was drinking much slower than Touya, and a much milder drink, but he was still feeling the heat from it. He couldn't believe Touya was on his third Long Island Iced Tea. A blend of 7 different alcohols in a person who didn't drink ever, thanks to a claim that it was hazardous to his health, wouldn't sit well. He'd have to make sure Touya didn't have another.

Touya swayed slightly in his seat, smiling openly. He certainly was a happy drunk, he'd give him that. "Does this mean you don't hate me anymore?"

Oh yeah, he was really drunk. "Yeah, I guess I should apologize for not giving you a chance. You're an alright guy."

"That's really nice to hear." Touya swayed dangerously in his seat. He reached for his glass. _This doesn't look very good…_ Waya's hand barely brushed the glass as Touya quickly drained it. Then he fell forward.

"Touya!" Waya's arms reached across the table, grabbing Touya by the shoulders just before he smashed into the coffee table face first.

"Shit."

She was still babbling on and on, about what, he wasn't sure. At least she wasn't asking him questions anymore. She was, however, still clinging to his hand.

Then his phone rang. _Thank the Gods._ Before she could stop him, he pulled his hand free, fished his cell phone from his pocket, saw Waya's number, and puzzled, answered the phone.

"Waya? I thought you were with Touya? You're still with him? Hurry back? What happened? What? Why did he collapse! …YOU WHAT! I'll be there in 20 minutes. Don't you dare go anywhere."

"I apologize, but I have an emergency. I must excuse myself." The girl just stared in wonder. His screaming must have scared her. But he didn't give a damn about what she thought at this particular moment.

He had to get home to take care of Touya. And kill Waya.


	4. What's in a Name?

Title: For the Love of the Game  
Author: hostilecrayon  
Paring: AkiHika, Waya/Isumi  
Rating: NC-17 (PG-13 for this chapter)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go, but oh how I wish I did. The characters are not mine, but the plot, if you really want to call it that, is mine, and mine alone. Hikaru no Go was created by Hotta and Obata and distributed by Viz, Shogakuen and Shonen Jump.  
Notes: I bet you thought this was dead forever! Well, it's back, folks. I hope it was worth at least some of the wait.

**Chapter 4: What's in a Name?**

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"He seemed so tense. I thought it would help him relax..."

Touya cracked his eyes open slightly, dilated pupils searching for the source of the noise. A blur of yellow accented by a smear of black identified Shindou, while a patch of brown fuzz proved to be Waya. What was all the yelling about? He sort of wanted to know, especially because a quick glance at his surroundings told him he was in his own apartment. Why were they fighting in his house? The noise continued in his kitchen, and on closer inspection, he could tell a very nervous Waya was standing next to the door with a very angry Shindou in his face. His head felt a little fuzzy, and he had to strain to make out what was being said, as all sound seemed to echo in his head, completely and utterly distorting it.

"You could have killed him! You were just having fun? You could have given him alcohol poisoning! You could have killed my best friend!" _Alcohol poisoning? Killed his best friend? Aren't I his best friend? What the hell is going on_?

"Hikaru..." He choked on his own breath, sour, raspy and dry. He tried to swallow when he noticed the angry sounds had stopped and all eyes were now on him.

"I'll be there in a moment, Akira." Hikaru began. Waya had this strange, incredulous look on his face, but it seemed Hikaru didn't notice. "Please don't try to move. It will only make it worse."

"Wha-" Touya attempted to sit up and immediately regretted it. His head spun, a sickening dizziness that made his stomach lurch. _I'm sick?_ And then it clicked. Best friend. Alcohol poisoning. _I'm... drunk_?

Touya was trying to sift through the haze in his head when Waya spoke up. "You two are on a first name basis?" All thoughts about the mornings' events ceased in his confused head as he waited for Shindou's reply.

At first, Touya thought he wasn't going to answer. He considered answering himself, but in his current condition, that was more than likely a bad idea. He'd heard all about the kinds of things people say when they're drunk. Wait... what had he talked about with Waya? He was broke from his thoughts again by the sound of Shindou's voice. "Is there something wrong with that?" Shindou's face was defiant, but his voice failed him, sounding meek and fragile.

"I can't believe you! Why don't you just go hop in bed right now?! When did this revelation come about?" He was... angry?

"About a month ago..." Shindou seemed so small now. Touya wanted to say something, anything, but his spinning head and twisting stomach warned against it. It had been Touya's idea... and now Waya was upset... Wait, why was he upset? Was it really a big deal? And what about that bed comment? The day was getting more and more confusing as it moved along.

"You were hiding it from me all this time?! You've never called each other by your first names in front of me before! What about last week when we went to the movies? Or the week before that when we went to the arcade? I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"I... I didn't think it would be a big deal..."

"You were deliberately hiding it from me! You're always talking about Touya being your best friend, but what about me? Aren't I your friend? And you couldn't even tell me?"

"I...I..."

"Fuck this. I'm out of here, Shindou-_san._" The door slammed behind him and Shindou stood, quietly staring at the closed door.

---

He wasn't quite sure how it had happened. One minute, he was screaming at Waya, the next, Waya was screaming at him. He felt very childish, and Waya was right, he should have told him, but with how much he hated Akira... It just didn't seem like a good idea at the time. But now, it seemed so foolish.

Slowly, he turned and walked to the couch opposite from Akira and sat down.

"I'm sorry."

It startled him, Akira's voice unexpected and quiet. "It's not your fault."

"It is though. It was my idea." Akira put his head down, his silky hair covering his puffy red eyes, the proof that he was still drunk.

"No." He said firmly. "It's not. I should have told him. You've done nothing wrong."

"Oh." There was a moment of silence. "Hikaru?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. For standing up for me, I mean. I really appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me. I did it because I wanted to." Hikaru ran his fingers through his long blonde bangs, pushing them fruitlessly out of his face. As soon as his hand returned to his lap, they fell back down around his cheeks, partly covering his eyes. He let out a long sigh. "How do you feel?"

"Strange. I'm having trouble recalling things, and my head feels a little fuzzy."

"You'll have one hell of a hangover later, but it'll be alright. Trust me, I've been drunk enough times to know."

"I've never seen you drunk." It was more of a question than a statement, and Akira stared at Hikaru with curious eyes.

"Well, it's usually those nights I stay at Isumi and Waya's..." He fell silent, feeling the guilt building up inside of him. Akira must have sensed his uneasiness, as he did not inquire further. Hikaru wrestled for a moment with his unwillingness to talk about Waya and his curiosity about the events that led up to a drunken Touya Akira until finally, the latter won in his mind. He had to ask. "So what happened, anyway?"

Akira seemed to think about this for a moment. "Well... we met at that club thing, and he got me a drink. That much I know. As for our discussion..." His face scrunched up a little as he animatedly tried recalling the events of the morning. Hikaru smirked. "I remember apologizing for my seemingly condescending attitude. I also remember him asking me if I had a significant other..." His face suddenly went pink, and for a moment, Hikaru was afraid Akira was going to puke. "He told me that he was dating Isumi! And I asked... a really... embarrassing question..." Akira flushed and averted his eyes.

"Embarrassing question?"

"I... I asked how sex works... you know... in that kind of relationship..." His flush deepened, and he turned his head, deliberately not looking at Shindou.

Shindou started laughing.

"It's not funny!" He cried, his hands now covering his maroon cheeks. Shindou chuckled a little more. How unlike Akira. There was none of his cold exterior. He'd have to get him drunk more often.

---

His face was on fire, and Shindou was laughing! He couldn't believe he was being laughed at. Did Shindou think it was funny to embarrass him further?

Then another feeling came, more unpleasant than his burning face and raw embarrassment. Nausea.

He tried desperately to stand, but the head rush was overwhelming, and he stumbled forward. He held a hand over his mouth to keep from vomiting on his carpet. A warm hand pulled him up and forward by his elbow and set him lightly before the toilet just in time for him to empty the contents of his stomach into the toilet in front of him.

Fingers combed his hair back, and a hand held it there, neatly out of the way. Another hand rubbed slowly up and down his spine. What a sight he must have been. Yet Shindou was being so motherly to him.

He let his chin rest for a moment on the toilet seat. He was sure he was finished, but it felt so nice to be taken care of. He didn't really want to move. "It's alright." He heard Shindou's voice in his ear, soft and soothing. And to think, only moments ago, he was laughing at his awkwardness. But now, in his truly vulnerable moment, there was no laughter. Only heartfelt gestures to help him through it. The effect was an inner warming sensation. To be cared for.

He stayed in that position for as long as he could bear, but after only a few minutes, he could no longer stand the taste in his mouth. As he went to stand, Shindou jumped up and ran out of the room, only to return a moment later with a glass of water. "Rinse your mouth out before you brush."

Akira obeyed him without question, swaying slightly from the increasing light-headedness, and he watched as Shindou prepared his toothbrush and a cap of mouthwash for him. "You should try to get some rest. The alcohol will wear off in a few hours. Don't worry, I won't go anywhere."

Inclined to do whatever the good natured boy told him to do, as soon as he finished brushing and rinsing, he went straight to his bed. His last thought before he fell asleep was _Why_?

---

As soon as Akira was asleep, Hikaru sought out the phone.

"Yoshitaka did _WHAT_?" Hikaru blinked, taken aback that Isumi had used Waya's given name. It wasn't something he heard often.

A heavy sigh came through over the line and Hikaru could just see Isumi rubbing his temples. "Don't worry about it, Shindou. He was probably startled, that's all. I'll talk to him about that _and _what he did to Touya." Hikaru heard the tell tale click of the door across the line, signaling Waya's return. "He's back now. I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks, Isumi. Bye."

"Goodbye."

Isumi didn't sound very happy with Waya. He'd hate to be in his shoes right about now.

With that thought, Hikaru hung up the phone and perched himself in Akira's room, watching over the severely drunk teen under the guise of reading his Kifu books.

---

Pain. It was the first thing that registered in Akira's fogged over mind. He wondered if he just laid there, he might slip back into unconsciousness, but he could hear the quiet flipping of pages and the distinct clack of stones being played and he cracked his eyes open.

Hikaru had dimmed the lights, and for that, Akira was grateful. A wave of nausea came over him as he turned his head, and he found himself lying as still as possible, watching Hikaru's silhouette recreating games on his goban. It was peaceful despite the pain, watching his rival and best friend study in the quiet dark of Akira's room, completely relaxed.

It wasn't long before Hikaru looked up to find Akira awake. "You're up."

Akira went to nod, but decided against it when his temple gave him a sharp throb. "Yes."

Game forgotten, Hikaru stood up. "Let me get you some aspirin." Akira audibly sighed his relief as the blond banged boy left the room.

When he returned, he had a full glass of water and three small tablets in his hand. He set the glass down and carefully slid his arm behind Akira, helping him sit up slowly to avoid lightheadedness and dizzy spells. The arm around him was warm and reassuring, and he flushed slightly when he realized he enjoyed the contact. He pushed the thought aside though and concentrated on swallowing the little white pills Hikaru had brought for him.

"Make sure you drink all the water. It helps." Akira did as he was told, having not been steered wrong yet and handed the empty glass back.

With no real reason to be on the bed with Akira anymore, Hikaru slid off the bed and back onto the floor, his attention once again on the recreation of a game. The raven haired boy watched in silence, waiting for the aspirin to kick in.

As the pain started to subside to a dull throb, Akira was able to concentrate enough to pay better attention to the game Hikaru was playing out. "That's the first match we played together as pros." It wasn't a question. The sharp-eyed teen knew the game by heart.

"Yeah. I knew I had the record of it somewhere." Hikaru held up an old notebook with frayed edges. "I recorded it as soon as I got home that day. It was an amazing game."

The blue-eyed boy let his eyes wander over the pattern of the stones, remembering the tension of that day as clearly as if it were yesterday. He found no glaring errors in the flow of the stones, and though they had since played games of a much higher skill level, there was no doubt in his mind that this game had pushed their skills beyond their limits back then. "Yes, it was," he replied simply.

"Are you feeling better?"

"A little, thank you."

Hikaru smiled softly. "Anytime." He cleared the stones away from the board and set his kifu aside. "Are you hungry at all?"

Akira's stomach flipped over at the thought of food. "I don't know if I could hold anything down just yet."

"I'll make some broth for you. You just rest."

Akira smirked. "Do you think you can manage to not burn it?"

Hikaru just rolled his eyes and walked out.

Not for the first time, Akira wondered why the other teen was taking such good care of him; and more importantly, why he enjoyed it so much.

---

"Yoshitaka." Isumi was calm, yet firm as the annoyed 5-dan walked through the door.

Waya sighed, not looking the taller pro in the face. "Shinichirou."

"Shindou called." It was a simple statement, but the implications of the conversation that was likely to follow weighed heavily in the air around them.

Before Isumi could say anymore on the subject, Waya launched into an explanation. "I know what I did was stupid and wrong, so you don't need to tell me. I just wanted to put Touya at ease, but things got out of hand. I'll apologize to Touya, of course."

Isumi merely looked at him. "And Shindou?"

"I- Well, what about him?" Waya said defensively.

Isumi reached a hand out as Waya tried to pass and pulled him down onto the couch. Waya tensed, but when Isumi shifted him to where his back was flat against the 4-dan's chest, he relaxed into the embrace. "You hurt him."

"Waya stiffened slightly. "Yeah, well…"

"I know he hurt you, too. But he wasn't trying to hurt you. You know that, don't you?" Isumi spoke softly, running his fingers through Waya's hair.

"Why couldn't he have just told us?"

"You hate Touya."

"I know, but-"

"You go out of your way to make sure everyone knows you hate Touya."

"Yeah, but-"

"You can't see why Shindou wouldn't be so quick to tell you?"

"Of course I do, but I thought-"

Isumi raised an unseen eyebrow. "You thought it would be best to ask him why he didn't just hop into bed with him right there?"

"Damn it, let me finish!" Waya moved to sit up, but Isumi held him firmly in place.

"No. You're only going to make excuses for yourself when you already know the answer to all your own questions."

Waya huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yoshitaka, what Shindou and Touya have is very delicate right now. Neither of them knows how they feel for one another. That much is obvious just by observing the way they interact. Being on a first name basis is the first in a long line of hesitant steps they're making towards each other. Do you remember when you first realized you had feelings for me?"

Waya's face softened. "Yeah, of course I do."

"How long did you have those feelings before you realized what they meant?"

"…A long time."

"So you understand."

"I just wish they'd include us, you know?"

"They will when they're ready."

"I know." Waya twisted in Isumi's arms and kissed him. "Alright, I'll apologize to them both." He sighed. "Everyone is changing so much."

"We all are," Isumi replied, and Waya kissed him again.

---

After Akira recovered, the two rivals fell back into their routine as if nothing had happened. Neither of them spoke of the incident with Waya or of Hikaru taking care of Akira in his time of need. Even after Waya officially apologized to each of them, they didn't talk about it. They both felt that it was over and done with, so there was no need to discuss it.

Instead, they both fell that much harder into their Go studies.

On an afternoon like any other, Akira was preparing for an early dinner and Hikaru was recreating a game played during a Juudan title match by Ogata, the defending champion, and Kajawari, a 9-dan from Osaka. Ogata had firmly defended his title, but not without some difficulty.

"Hey Akira, after dinner do you think you could recreate this game with me? I want to see if I could have made it play out differently for Kajawari 9-dan."

Akira moved around the kitchen with ease, heating the pan while slicing the fish. "I can't. My father is home all this month, so he'll be holding some study sessions, remember? That's why we're having dinner so early. I have to leave afterwards." A quick dip in the batter and the thinly sliced fish was crackling merrily in the pan while Akira plugged in the rice cooker.

"Hey, Akira…"

He flipped the fish and moved to the fridge to pull out the vegetables. "Yes?"

"I know Morishita-Sensei wouldn't approve… but do you think your father would mind if I tagged along?" When Akira hesitated, Hikaru looked up. "Uhm, unless you don't want me to, that is," he amended quickly.

"No, it's not that at all!" He replied quickly. "I was just thinking about how many people are going to be there. I don't think it would be a problem if you came."

"Who's going to be there?"

"Well, Ogata-San, Kurata-San, most of my father's regular attendants, a couple of new pros that were invited, me and you, of course…"

"Eh? That many? It's practically an exhibition!"

"Don't worry, my father always makes sure everyone gets a chance to play and learn. Plus, with so many high level players there, they can easily set up a few different groups…"

"I take that back. It's IS an exhibition," Hikaru groaned.

"Do you want to come or don't you?" Akira clucked, divvying out equal portions of fish, rice and vegetables onto separate plates.

"Of course I want to go! I wouldn't have asked otherwise!" Hikaru said defensively before shoveling a pile of rice in his mouth. "Do you think Ogata-San would recreate that game with me? It would be better to actually play him to see if I could have turned the tides in that game or not."

The raven haired boy shrugged, taking the time to swallow. "You'd have to ask him. And don't talk with your mouth full. It's disgusting."

They cleaned their plates relatively quickly and headed for Touya-Sensei's house – but not before Akira made Hikaru help with the dishes.

---

In the front hall of Touya Kouyou's massive house, Akira and Hikaru traded their shoes for house slippers and made their way to the den. Hikaru took in as much of the house as he could, admiring the refined taste Akira's parents had. The 7-dan had to slow down several times to satisfy the 4-dan's curiosity.

When they finally approached the study room, Hikaru noticed there were only a handful of people there.

"Ah, Akira-kun, you're here early. And you brought Shindou-kun? What a pleasant surprise."

"Hello Father." Akira bowed his head politely and stepped into the room.

"Good afternoon, Touya-Sensei." Shindou bowed much lower than Akira and trailed along behind him to sit beside the goban.

Touya Kouyou was playing a friendly game with Kurata-san, and Hikaru was quickly engrossed in the game, watching the almost playful moves dance across the board. He barely noticed as the room quickly filled up around them, Ogata fielding players into their own groups. When the game was finished, the former Meijin had won by a significant amount. After the thanks were given, Hikaru was ready to comment.

The former Meijin looked at the young pro's eager face and said, "Something you'd like to say?"

"Well, yeah. This move here," Shindou pointed, "really turned the tides on Kurata-san, but if he would have responded with a tsuke here," he motioned towards an area of stones, "he could have gained a lot more territory and threatened this large cluster as well."

"Oh? Hmm…" Kurata studied the board carefully. "I see what you're saying, but…"

Hikaru excitedly continued, "But it wouldn't have been enough to win the game, right? However, if Touya-Sensei responded to your tsuke, you would have been free to attack the bottom right formation, successfully cutting the stones here and preventing Touya-Sensei from connecting. Wouldn't that have put you on a more equal playing field?"

"Oh! It would have effectively lessened the moku difference to between two or three!"

Good work, Shindou-kun. An answer worthy of the one my son calls his rival." The former Meijin set his stare on Hikaru, and he flushed.

"Uh… no, not really… I'm sure Touya could see it too…"

Touya said nothing.

The atmosphere started to get a little heavy, so Hikaru excused himself and sought out Ogata.

"Um, Ogata-san, if you're not busy…"

Ogata took his glasses off and cleaned them with his shirt. "You want a game, Shindou-kun?"

"Well, actually, I was wondering if we could go over one of your title matches."

Ogata's eyes shot up. "Oh? Which one would that be?"

"The third match of the Juudan title with Kajawari 9-dan." He pulled the kifu for the game out of his bag and held it out to Ogata. He replaced his glasses and glanced at the kifu.

"This one? We could go over the fourth match if you'd like. It was a much closer game than this was."

"But that's just it Ogata-San. I think if I altered the play a little, I could turn it around. But it would be completely meaningless to try it without playing with you because no one but you can be sure as to how you'd respond."

Ogata smirked. "Well, I guess I could indulge you. Care to bet on the results?"

"O-Ogata-san… I'm a little young to bet…"

Ogata grinned. "You're never too young to bet, Shindou-Kun. Besides, you're already a pro."

"No, I really don't think I should…"

"I'll bet with you, Ogata-san." Hikaru's eyes widened as Kurata-san approached, pulling out his wallet. "Shall we say… 10,000 yen?"

Ogata laughed, pulling out his wallet. "Pocket change, eh? Well, it's better than nothing, I guess."

"I will bet."

"To-Touya…"

"I'll bet 20,000 yen that Shindou can turn the game around." Touya's eyes were sharp, daring anyone to disagree.

"Akira-Kun, 20,000 yen is pocket change to someone with titles and a 9-dan, but that's really a lot of money…"

"I said 20,000 yen. Do you take the bet or not?" Akira pulled out his money and threw it down on the collection that had started there. The other two pros shook their heads and added to the pile. A few of the other pros also pitched in, and though Touya Kouyou did not bet, he did come to watch the match.

By the time the opening moves were played, the entire study session has watching. Hikaru swallowed hard, knowing that if he lost, so did everyone but Ogata. _And even Akira… What is he thinking?_

Several moves went by in silence. "Just let me know when you're ready, Shindou-kun."

"You'll know when I stop playing from the kifu." As the game progressed, Hikaru began to feel the shape of the stones and the pressure of the eyes on the game and the money beside the table started to disappear. It was a few minutes more, and then…

"A hane there?!" Kurata-san exclaimed, trying to read deeper into the move.

Ogata replied flawlessly, but it was not enough to stop the turbulence he had created on the board.

"Hmm." The former Meijin crossed his arms in front of him, studying the turn of events unfolding in this old game turned new.

Ogata was resisting well, but Hikaru was forcing the fight across the board, diving deeper and deeper into Ogata's territory. It almost looked as if he had the advantage until Ogata played a tsuke on the lower white formation.

_He's effectively cut off my access to the top left portion of my stones. If I can't solidify in the middle, I'll lose what little lead I've got._

Hikaru aggressively attacked the middle left, but it wasn't enough to keep Ogata from cutting through the formation.

He tried to make it up in yose, but in the end, he lost by two and a half moku.

"I apologize, everyone…" But before the words were even completely out of his mouth, everyone was taking animatedly about the game.

"I would have never thought of that! It was very effective, though…"

Hikaru backed away from the crowd to watch from a comfortable distance. Touya Kouyou was there, though, and his gaze pierced through Hikaru like a laser. "Well played, Shindou-Kun. It won't be long now…"

He walked away, leaving Hikaru to wait for Akira.

When Akira was finally ready to go, they left his fathers' house in silence. They walked for a while before either of them spoke.

"I'm sorry you lost your money."

"It was worth it."

Hikaru looked at him; even opened his mouth to speak, but Akira looked back with that steely stare that meant it wasn't up for debate.

There was silence for the remainder of the trip.


End file.
